Table of Contents
I. Introduction II. Are You a Good Listener?

III. Barriers to Listening

IV. How to Become a Better Listener

V. Active Listening

VI. Listening Tips for the TOEFL® iBT Test

In order to become a good learner, you need to become a good listener. You
may be surprised to know that hearing and listening are not the same thing. You
could say that good hearing is the foundation of good listening. Listening is a
specialized form of hearing, and is the primary function of the ear (not hearing).

► Hearing is a
passive process. It merely involves the detection of sounds
around us.

► Listening is an
active process. It involves the conscious desire to determine the
meaning of what is heard.

Many people have excellent hearing but are poor listeners. If you think you
might be a poor listener, read on as this e-book has plenty of tips to help you
improve your skills in this area.


classroom, too.

For example, you can borrow cassettes with stories to listen to at home, or try to
understand the words of the pop songs you like. Watching English language
television programs or videos are a great way to improve your listening skills
because what you see can help you understand what you hear. Working on
increasing your vocabulary will also help you to become a better listener.

Finally, remember this: the more you speak to people, the more they will speak
back to you. Talking with native speakers is perhaps the best way of getting lots
of extra listening practice!
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III. Barriers to Listening

Listening takes time or, more accurately, you have to take time to listen. A life
programmed with back-to-back commitments offers little leeway for listening.
Similarly, a mind constantly buzzing with plans, dreams, schemes and anxieties
is difficult to clear. Good listening requires the temporary suspension of all
unrelated thoughts - a blank canvas. In order to become an effective listener, you
have to learn to manage what goes on in your own mind. Technology, for all its
glorious gifts, has erected new barriers to listening. Face-to-face meetings and
telephone conversations (priceless listening opportunities) are being replaced by
email and the sterile anonymity of electronic meeting rooms. Meanwhile
television continues to capture countless hours that might otherwise be available

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First, you will listen better if you LOOK AT THE PERSON speaking. The
speaker's facial expressions, eyes, hand motions, and body posture add
meaning to the words you are hearing. Also, the person speaking will feel
listened to, connected, and encouraged because you are making eye contact.

Second, you can become a better listener if you CONCENTRATE ON
UNDERSTANDING what the person is saying. The speaker is attempting to
make a point, or to describe an event, or put into words something that doesn't
come easily, or to explain the reasons for his or her actions, or to express a
sensitive feeling, or whatever is the reason for talking. Your listening is an
attempt to get the meaning, find the bottom line, and understand the main part of
the communication. Your listening focuses on understanding even if you do not
agree or see it the way the speaker does. People concentrate to understand.

Third, you can TUNE IN TO THE WAY WORDS ARE SPOKEN. The speaker
may whine some words, speak louder other words, put in a pause or sigh, sing a
phrase, or drop or raise the voice to suggest emotion. These sounds are like
colors painted on the spoken words. They are often combined with a raised
eyebrow, or narrowed eyes, or frown, or a turned-down mouth, or a smile, or
tears to enhance the meaning of particular words spoken.

Fourth, you will improve your listening when you are able to SUMMARIZE in a
sentence or two what the other person has been saying. This does not mean you
summarize what you think about what the person said. This does not mean you
tell your personal experience that is similar or dissimilar. Instead, it means you
have accurately received the message and summarized it when the speaker
says "Yes, that's what I mean."

The bottom line is this: you will become a better listener if you look at the

Relax while attending

Specific Tips for Active Listening

1. Listen patiently to what the other person has to say, even though you may
believe it is wrong or irrelevant. Indicate simple acceptance, not necessarily
agreement, by nodding or perhaps injecting an occasional "mm-hmm" or "I
see".

2. Try to understand the feeling the person is expressing, as well as the
intellectual content. Most of us have difficulty talking clearly about our
feelings, so it is important to pay careful attention.

3. Restate the person's feeling briefly, but accurately. At this stage you simply
serve as a mirror. Encourage the other person to continue talking.
Occasionally make summary responses such as, "You think you are in a
dead-end job", or "You feel the manager is playing favorites." In doing so,
keep your tone neutral and try not to lead the person to your pet
conclusions.

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pro.com

4. Allow time for the discussion to continue without interruption and try to
separate the conversation from more official communication of company
plans. Do not make the conversation any more "authoritative" than it already
is by virtue of your position in the organization.

5. Avoid direct questions and arguments about facts; refrain from saying, "That
is just not so", "Hold on a minute, let's look at the facts", or "Prove it." You

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VI. Listening Tips for the TOEFL® iBT Test The best way to improve listening skills for the TOEFL
® iBT Test is to listen as
much as possible to a variety of sources in various subject areas (sciences,
social sciences, arts, business, etc.). Watching movies and TV and listening to
radio are also excellent ways to practice listening. Cassette tapes and CDs of
talks are available in libraries and bookstores; those with transcripts of the
listening material are particularly helpful. The Internet is, of course, also a great
resource for listening material, including these valuable sites:

Here are some suggestions for ways to strengthen skills for the three listening
purposes included in the TOEFL
® iBT test.

1.
Listening for basic comprehension

Expand your range of academic vocabulary knowledge, perhaps by using
flashcards.
Focus on the content and flow of material. Do not be distracted by the
speaker’s style and delivery.
Anticipate what a person is going to say as a method of staying focused.
Stay active by asking yourself questions. (e.g.: What main idea is the professor
communicating?)
Be sure to take notes on the main idea, major points, and important details.
Listen to a part of a lecture or talk and either orally summarize or write a brief
summary of the main points. Gradually increase the amount listened to and

Listen to recorded material and stop the recording at various points and try to
predict what information or idea will be expressed next.

Create an outline of the information discussed while listening or after listening.

***For additional listening tips & valuable practice activities, be sure to
check out the following ESL Pro Systems products:
- Learning English Listening Workbook
- Learning English Advanced Listening Workbook
- Listening Workbook for the TOEFL® iBT Test
- Listening Workbook for the TOEIC® Test

Copyright © 2005 ESL Pro Systems, Ltd. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.esl-pro.com